Sports Briefing

Published: March 29, 2006

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

INDIANA HIRING SAMPSON -- Indiana University has agreed to hire Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson as its next coach, taking him from a Sooners program that is under a recruiting investigation. Sampson, 50, will replace Mike Davis, who announced his resignation last month. Davis went 115-79 in six seasons.

The N.C.A.A. is looking into more than 550 impermissible recruiting phone calls by Sampson and his assistant coaches.

PECORA REWARDED -- Hofstra Coach Tom Pecora agreed to a five-year contract after a season in which the Pride went 26-7 and twice beat George Mason, a Final Four team. The deal, which runs through 2011, was announced yesterday.

Pecora has a record of 81-72 with the Pride. This season's team matched the Hofstra record for victories. Hofstra lost in the N.I.T. quarterfinals, 61-51, to Old Dominion.

AUTO RACING

GORDON FINED -- Nascar fined Jeff Gordon $10,000 yesterday for shoving Matt Kenseth after Sunday's race at Bristol Motorspeedway. When Kenseth's car made contact with Gordon on the final lap Sunday, Gordon was sent spiraling backward from third place to 21st.

Kenseth said the contact was accidental. When he walked toward Gordon on pit road, Gordon, still wearing his helmet and safety devices, shoved Kenseth back several feet. They were separated by Nascar officials.

BASEBALL

GRISSOM RETIRES -- Marquis Grissom retired yesterday after a 17-year major league career.

Grissom, 38, who was released by the Giants last season, signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs in January. But he batted just .200 in 17 spring training games.

ROYALS CLAIM INFIELDER -- Tony Graffanino was claimed off waivers yesterday by the Kansas City Royals, returning to the team that traded him to the Boston Red Sox eight months ago. He batted .319 in 51 games for the Red Sox after being traded July 19, then lost his second-base job when Boston obtained Mark Loretta from San Diego on Dec. 7 for catcher Doug Mirabelli.

TENNIS

WAITING FOR AGASSI -- The United States team that won the first round of the Davis Cup will stay together for the quarterfinals in Chile, and if the Americans advance, Andre Agassi could join them.

The team captain Patrick McEnroe chose the same group that beat Romania, 4-1, last month: Andy Roddick, James Blake and the twins Bob and Mike Bryan. Roddick is No. 4 in the ATP Tour rankings; Blake is No. 9.

McEnroe did not rule out having Agassi return. The semifinals would be against France or Russia in September.

''I had a couple of discussions with him late last year, early this year,'' McEnroe said. ''Any time he says he's interested, I'm interested. I'd be crazy not to be. He's Andre Agassi.''

SKIING

MILLER CLOSES WITH VICTORY -- Bode Miller closed out his season yesterday by winning the giant slalom at the national championships. Miller, who was second behind James Cochran after falling on his hip in his first run, had the fastest second run down the sun-drenched Narrow Gauge course at Carrabassett Valley, Maine, to win with a combined time of 2 minutes 8.15 seconds.